Sunny Banana
I am a school chaplain and the content is intended to encourage curiosity about Faith and it's impact on day to day life
The Sunny Banana, is a play upon the Zulu greeting, Sanibonani, meaning I see you.
As tech wrenches us from real life, we are not seeing each other. The Greek word 'idea' means to see. It is as if we have lost the idea of what it means to be human; social, communal, relational. The same word, to see, in Old English is 'seon' which has connotations of understanding.
Let's start seeing each other again, listening, respecting, and understanding each other and ourselves. After all, we are people through other people.
Sunny Banana
John of the Dream part one
What drives a man to leave everything behind and follow a dream? We explore the whimsical journey of John of the Dream, an ordinary peddler from Swaffham, whose extraordinary dream propels him to the bustling streets of London. Is he a fool or a visionary? Join us as we recount his conversations with sceptical townsfolk, an eccentric priest, and a sharp-tongued Londoner. This charming tale challenges the boundaries between fantasy and reality, revealing a surprise twist that turns John's world upside-down.
Perhaps you will come with me to a time where there's no prep set, there's no bus runs, no classes. To get to a time about story, let me tell you about the peddler of Swatham, or some people call the story John of the Dream. Now, john, if you asked his wife if he was the sharpest tool in the shed, then she would say no. If you asked his wife if he was the most romantic or thoughtful, she would say no. One thing John was was that he was a dreamer. And, lo and behold, one day In his bed he had a dream and he woke up From this dream. And, being John, he couldn't wait for his wife to wake up, because he loved Talking to people about his dreams and he wanted to hear what they thought. So he worked his wife up and he told her the dream that he should go to London Bridge and he'll meet a man who will tell him something very, very important. And that was it. That was the dream. And he asked his wife do you, what do you make of this? What do you make of this dream? And so his wife said it's obvious, the dream means nothing. It's just a dream. Just go back to bed, john. So when he woke up the next day.
Speaker 1:They say that day was the longest day in Swatham ever, because John went around to every person. He went to the candlestick maker, he went to the baker, he went to the blacksmith, he went to the nurse, he went to all sorts of people to share his dream. And people just brushed him off and said oh, john, it's just a dream, carry on. Until John went to the church and he walked into a church full of cobwebs and crows in the ceiling and the roof and, emerging from the sanctuary where the altar was, was this crow of a priest. He actually looked like a crow and he was just dusty and old as well. And he said what would you like? What are you doing here? And John said I've had a dream, do you want to hear it? And the priest said we don't need nighttime dreams, we need daytime visions, daytime visions. Can you see this church? We need something real, we need something, we need vision. So go away with your dream.
Speaker 1:So what did John do do? He told him about the dream, but the priest was having none of it. So when he went he thought well, if my own people aren't going to tell me and what I need to know about my dream, then I'm going to move on. So he moves on and he walks, and he walks, and he keeps walking Until he arrives in London. That's a big, old, big old city, isn't it? Lots of people, lots of people going around and he, just he does the same thing that he did in Swapnick he tells everyone about his dream and he says well, I need to find somebody who's going to tell me something important.
Speaker 1:And everyone keeps brushing him off. And days go by, and days go by, and days go by, and days go by, and days go by, and days go by and by, and by and by. Eventually he is so bedraggled and looking so sad on the side of the road. A local Londoner sees him, comes up to him and says I've seen you for many, many days just sitting there. You look like a right old pillock. He's a proper Londoner, this guy. And he goes what are you doing? Why are you here?
Speaker 1:And John says well, I was told in a dream that I would meet someone in London Bridge and they would tell me something very important. Oh, he says to London oh, dreams, dreams, oh dreams are nothing. Dreams don't do anything for anybody. But you know what I can tell you about my dream, but you know what I can tell you about my dream.
Speaker 1:So the man tells him about his dream, and what he dreamt was this he dreamt that there was a man from Swatham who lived in a lovely cottage, had a lovely wife, bit of a dull bloke, not very clever and a bit of a dreamer. But what was special about this house and cottage was there. Buried underneath was a hidden treasure worth more than you can imagine. So that's it, that was my dream. Ok, nice to see you, I'll be on my way then. So that's it, that was my dream. Okay, nice to see you, I'll be on my way then. Bye, bye. And John just watched this gentleman disappear in the distance and he was like well, wow, that's quite a dream. I better move on then and try to find my person who's going to tell me something important. So on he goes and on he goes and he's walking until he says to himself oh my word, oh, my word.